News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-09-01
ALWAYS ON THE GO.
LIFE AS 1T is ON THE RAILROAD
Why Trainmen Stick to Hard
Uncomfortable, Dangerous Life.
From the Buffalo News. I


'We see many strange things in our
life and many strange people. But for
| that existence would be burden, and
| you could not get a man to run on the
road at all, for the pay is not great and
the danger is not little.
He was a trainman on one of the
many roads that run out of Buffalo, and
had just finished his supper and was
quietly enjoying cigar. The girl next
door was trying to strike up a Irritation
with him, but in vain. Nor did she
show poor taste. He was young, tall,
fair looking, with an athletic frame and
a pair of honest, fearless blue eyes that
| compelled respect from men and won
the hearts of women. He was in n talk
atlve mood and went on, pausing now
and then to keep his cigar going.
81 don't know why it is, but [ am
| never contented except when / am on
the move. l may be dull and depressed
when down town, but the moment the
| conductor calls out All aboard,' and
the engine pulls out, forget everything
except the hustle, rumble, roar, and the
swaying of the train. The rapid motion
has an exhilarating effect, and as the
trees and fields whiz by my blood begins
to tingle.
"Then a man makes friends at every
stopping place, and there is always
some one to say good day and good
by at every station. You are always on
the go, and there are always old friends
and new faces at every turn. [ like the
life, and it is the excitement in it that
keeps SO many men tied down to it.
You must not think we could not do
better. Why, | have quit two or three
| times, and [ did we'll, too, but / could
not stand it, so [ returned to the life
again. Promotion is slow but sure, and
each of us knows that conductors
punch will surely come in time if we do
our duty. It is all very we'll to talk of
soulless corporations, but railroad ap-
preciates an honest employee just as
much, if not more, than a bank presi-
dent does an efficient clerk
81 don't know why it is, :" he went on,
after a few vigorous puffs, "but the
brakeman-Or trainman as he is now
called-is a greater masher than the
conductor. The shy country lass, the
coy village maid, and the aristocratic
city lady all take to us. One reason is,
we are more obliging. We have few of
the cares that annoy the conductor; peo-
pie are not trying to beat us, and we
have no spoilers watching us. [ suppose
1t is necessary to put spies on the con-
ductors, but [ think as a class they are
honest. Now and then one yields to O
pitiful tale, but he is too good Judge
of human nature to be deceived often.
/ often think that if the officials had to
be tried and tempted as the conductors
are they would make as many mistakes
of the head and heart L will give you
one pOinter-if you wish to get ride
make your talk to the conductor before
you board the train. He will do Just as
much for you then as he will when you
strike him on board. A man who is
honest never gets aboard and tries to
beat his way, and no one knows this
better than the conductor.
''No, we seldom get tips" he contin-
ued, "and a great many of us never
take them. OF course, We can pick up
many segars, but they are more in the
line of sociability than anything else.
We have so many friends along the road
that they are always doing something of
the kind. ] know one day l returned a
book to an old gentleman who had left
it in his seat as he changed cars here.
He offered me dollar, which I refused.
He then thanked me very gracefully,
with marked English accent. I found
out afterward he was Herbert Spencer.
was glad then l refused the ''tin.'
81 can give you another instance, he
said, after another struggle with his
cigar, 'and that happened between here
and Syracuse. We pulled out one night,
and as 1 walked through the car I saw
young girl with pinched face, dark
sad eyes, and a hacking cough. saw
that she was cOnsumptive, and [ made
up my mind that she was hurrying
home to die. Twas all sympathy at once,
and made up my mind that would keep
track of her and see that her journey
was pleasant as possible. We whirled
along, and as l went by her [ saw that
she was suffering. l proffered my
services. and she said she wanted a
cup of water. | got it, and then fixed
the seats and made her bed. gave
her all the help | could and then she
finally told me her story. She said she
had been student at the Normal
School at Albany, but she had broken
down during the course of study. Now,
| had cousin there and [ told her so,
and she knew her. She became more
confidential and told me she was going
home to die, and that the doctors had
told her she could not live six months
When we parted L turned her over to
the conductor on the next train, who
had at one time been a trainman with
me. | never saw her again.
cit was good six months afterward," "
he said, as he lighted his cigar, which |
had gone out, "when heard that there
was a reward offered to a trainman who |
had been kind to q sick lady on his |
train. I thought of my adventure, but |
1 made up my mind that [ was not the
lucky man. Now, all the boys had a
sick passenger, but none got the reward.
One day in Syracuse man came up |
and began to talk with me about my |
sick passenger, and wanted descrip-
ton. l am good hand at remember
ing names and faces, and | told him
about her pinched face and her eyes |
and cough, as I have told you. He told
me that was the man he was looking |
for, but wanted me to tell how she was |
dressed, and did not miss that. Then |
he informed me that she had requested |
on her deathbed that [ should be well |
rewarded for my kindness. He told me
that she had little money, but that |
her mother was in rather poor circum- |
stances. [ am not very saving any way,
but l have enough for my ordinary eX-
penses. l thought of my own mother,
and then l made up mind that I did not
want any reward, and l told them so.
I knew that she was grateful, and told
them | did not value the reward half rs
much as did her remembrance of me.
l never got the reward" he added, with
an attempt at smile, "and these are
the only tips that ever received. But
l must report for this train, so that if
tho othn1. MON nnn,t crn l ,,nn1r tnEn hiS |